Elk Had Tyre Stuck Around its Neck for 2 Years
An elk that spent at least two years roaming the Colorado wilderness with a tire around its neck is finally free of the encumbrance after wildlife officers removed it.
Mount Evans Wilderness is a forest area in Colorado, USA. In 2019, Wildlife officer Jared Lamb first spotted an elk with a spotting scope. He saw that the elk had a tire stuck on his neck. At the time the elk was probably two years old. Lamb and other wildlife officers kept trying to find the elk so that they could remove the tire from its neck. However, for 2 years they would occasionally spot him but were unable to catch him.
Finally on 9th October wildlife officers spotted the elk. They shot him with a tranquilizer dart and caught him. He weighed 270 kg with the tyre. The tyre was tightly stuck on its neck. And they were unable to remove it because of his antlers. The officer had to give him anaesthesia injections so that the elk did not feel pain. They then cut off his antlers and successfully removed the tyre.
Its neck was in pretty good shape despite all that chafing.For almost two years the tyre was stuck around its neck. The elk must have been in so much pain and discomfort. Now that the tyre is removed he must feel light and very comfortable. Officers say the animal probably got its head stuck in the tire either when it was very young or when it had small antlers. This happens to many animals as these days people are throwing a lot of trash in forests. Animals get stuck in hammocks, clothing lines, volleyball nets, etc. So people must be careful when throwing such things so animals are safe.
